Pages

Search All Things 40K

Monday, January 18, 2010

Eldar Jetbikes. It is about time I got around to painting my squad (I have a 12-man squad, 3 of which are Shuriken Cannons). In celebration of this, I've been reading up on the tactics articles on Fritz's blog The Way of Saim-Hann. Great stuff, you should check it out if you haven't already.

Step 1: BasecoatNote that during this step-by-step, the models are NOT glued to their stands. I just dry attach them before each picture so you can see how it looks.

Step 2: Mordian BlueI'm trying a new process to get a good blue (also, because I'm looking to start an Ultramarines army). Lay it down thick and get it in all the crevices.

Step 3: Enchanted BlueIt's an old pot, but not a discontinued color. This was heavily drybrushed over the Mordian Blue.

Step 4: Ice BlueLight drybrush, mostly along edges.

Step 5: Skull WhiteVery light drybrush. Only on the edges.

Step 6: Asurmen Blue WashAs is typical with my style, I like to build brighter than I want, then wash it down. Dowse it.

Step 7: Iyanden DarksunAs the yellows are notoriously thin, anything to be yellow is first done with the foundation paint.

Step 8: Sunburst YellowThis took 2 to 3 coats, despite the foundation paint to get it good and bright.

I plan to hit this with Devlan Mud, then re-build, but first, there is another color I want to wash with Devlan Mud, so let's get that one ready too.

Step 11: Devlan Mud WashI hit both the helmets and the leather. You'll notice I didn't hit the details on the carapace, because there really was no details for the wash to pick out.

Step 12: Sunburst YellowBring the helmets back up, staying out of the crevices picked out by the Devlan Mud.

Step 13: Bleached BoneI normally have a 5-step process for bone, but this was an attempt to bring that down to a 2-step.

Step 14: Gryphonne SepiaWashed over the bone. It's a good quick effect, though I think I'll be going back to the 5-step from here on out.

Step 15: Boltgun MetalFoot pedals, handlebars and all the mechy bits under the seat were drybrushed with this. I do apologize for the bad angle on the pic, you can hardly see where it was applied.

Step 16: Gryphonne Sepia WashHere's a better view of those bits I was talking about. I generally wash Boltgun Metal with Gryphonne Sepia for Tau and Eldar, because it gives the metal a neat almost alien look, but not rusty.

Step 17: Macharius Solar OrangeMost of my Alaitoc Eldar are gingers. :) Here's the steps I use to get that red-head look.

Step 18: Tausept OchreLight drybrush.

Step 19: Devlan Mud Wash3-step redhead. It may not be bright red like my wife's hair, but I like it nonetheless.

Step 20: Jade Green (Snot Green)This is for the gemstones. Unfortunately, GW has discontinued Jade Green as a color. It's really a shame, as Jade Green was a very saturated color. Nice and bright. I would suggest as an alternative to use Snot Green. It's as close as you're going to get (as far as the GW paints) without mixing a proprietary blend.

Step 21: Dark Angels GreenApplied to the upper left area of the gemstones.

Step 22: Putrid Green (Scorpion Green)Another discontinued color. They re-named it Scorpion Green. This is applied as a curved line in the lower right area of the gemstones. Also, I used it to paint the eyes.

Step 23: Skull WhiteA small highlight dot in the middle of the Dark Angels Green on the gemstones.

With the models themselves done, we move on to the bases...

Step 24: Calthan Brown basecoatMmm, earthy.

Step 25: Basing sand/rocksIt's important to note that in order to get a good solid hold on the basing material, it was applied in three steps. First, lay down the PVA glue (Elmer's White). Next, sprinkle/pour on the basing material. Lastly, after the glue has dried and you've shaken off the excess, coat it with a watered down PVA. This will make sure you don't lose sand over time.

Step 26: Devlan Mud WashI like my earth dark.

Step 27: Static GrassLay down some PVA glue, sprinkle on the static grass, then gently blow the excess off (this will also make the grass stand up).

Voila! Guardian Jetbikes:I think the most fun/interesting part to all this was coming up with unique designs for the carapaces. I didn't want any bike pattern to be duplicated. I view the Eldar as a very eclectic bunch, and while disciplined (and Alaitoc are notoriously stern), I like to think of the jetbikes (and Storm Guardians) as one step from taking the path of the Ranger. Hence the leather jackets and individualistic carapace designs.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Guess what I got for Christmas:Lots of Space Wolves. Two Wolf Pack boxes and a Rune Priest. Awesome.
Also under the tree was an IG Hellhound, a Tau Crisis Suit, Captain Sicarius, the Dark Angels Fortress and a Shrine of the Aquila. All around an awesome haul. I love my family.

Back to the Space Wolves, I'm not so much a fan of Ragnar ... so what great company are my wolves going to hail from?

My wolves howl unto Harald Deathwolf.

As far as Harald himself, I plan on modeling two versions of him: on foot in Terminator Armour (using Logan's model) and on a Thunderwolf (using Canis' model). Each will have some minor conversions.

Logan flat out comes with too many goodies to try and build myself using the standard Wolf Lord equipment. When I run this version, he'll be attached to a unit of Wolf Guard in Termie armour in a Land Raider. Only for high point campaigns, mind you... as this is way expensive.

For the mounted version, he's Harald Deathwolf. His fluff pretty much demands that he ride a Thunderwolf. The sagas are mostly great, but Eternal Warrior is just too much to pass up, given how much of a target he'll be ... so Bear it is.

Now why a Frost Axe instead of a Thunderhammer, or claws? The Frost Axe gives him +1 Strength. So does the Thunderwolf. This means he hits at S:6, I:5 A:6 (base 4, +1 additional ccw, +1 from the Thunderwolf)... A:7 on the charge. That's amazing, And I'd rather not lose that Initiative advantage. When I take the Thunderwolf version, he would join a unit of Fenrisian Wolves, and generally cause mayhem wherever needed.

As I haven't painted SW before, the above model was my "test pancake." It turned out ok, so I'll be pressing on with this method for the rest of them. Expect a SW Step-By-Step to come down the pipe shortly.